Tag Archives: Jesus

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – He Is Your Strength

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God is my Strong Fortress.—2 Samuel 22:33

God wants to give you strength for every situation you face. He doesn’t only want to give you strength, though; He wants to be your strength.

Many men and women of the Bible knew God as their strength, and they are great examples to encourage us to trust in His strength too. David wrote in Psalm 18:29 that by his God he could run through a troop and leap over a wall. In 1 Kings 19:4-8, an angel of God ministered to Elijah, who was tired and depressed, and Elijah went forty days and nights in the strength he received from that one visit.

How do we receive strength from God? We receive by faith, by believing His promise to strengthen us. That faith will quicken your body, as well as your spirit and your soul. At our conferences, the Holy Spirit has strengthened with fresh determination people who felt they could not go on. His healing power came as we waited in His presence and received it from Him.

By faith you can receive strength to stay in a difficult marriage, raise a difficult child, or stick with a difficult job. You can receive strength to do great things. Don’t worry about your natural weaknesses, but remember that Christ’s strength is made perfect and shows itself most effective in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Have you been trying to push through difficulties on your own? If so, make a change right now. Start getting strength from deep within you, where the Holy Spirit dwells.

Love God Today: “Lord, I do not have much strength on my own. I receive the strength you want to give me through Your Holy Spirit. I believe I can do whatever I need to do in life through Jesus Christ.”

From the book Love Out Loud by Joyce Meyer.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – The Same Father

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“We who have been made holy by Jesus, now have the same Father He has. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers” (Hebrews 2:11).

Though you and I have been made holy by Jesus, we need to ask ourselves a question: Have we really been set apart, consecrated, devoted to God experientially?

A practical definition of the word consecration would carry the idea that you and I are willing to do anything the Lord asks us to do. Is that really the case? Are we listening closely enough to His still small voice even to know what He really wants us to do?

Once a popular TV commercial asked, “How do spell relief?” We might ask ourselves, “How do you spell commitment?” Too many of us, I’m afraid, spell it C-O-N-V-E- N-I-E-N-C-E. If it is convenient for us to share the good news of the gospel, we will do it; if it is convenient for us to go to Sunday school, church or prayer meeting, we will do it.

True commitment is a rare commodity these days – even among Bible-believing, evangelical Christians. Otherwise our churches would be full; our witnessing would be a normal daily routine; our lives would be more Christlike.

We have already been made holy, but we need to reckon on that fact – and through the enabling of the Holy Spirit, live like holy people. Meditate on this fact: We have the same Father as Jesus, and Jesus calls us His brothers. What a great honor and privilege is ours!

Bible Reading: Hebrews 10:5-14

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: I will count on the holiness of Christ within me to make me all that He wants and intends me to be, As a member of God’s supernatural family I shall claim God’s power to live supernaturally.

Presidential Prayer Team

Presidential Prayer Team;  A.W. – Start a Stampede

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In recent years, consumers have scoured the market to find the “best Christmas gift ever.” Lists come out with the hottest toys for kids and people go crazy to get the prize. In 1980, it was Rubik’s Cubes; 1983 brought Cabbage Patch Dolls; 1989 featured Gameboys; and 1996 gave you Tickle Me Elmo, which reappeared in 2008 as Elmo Live and again in 2011 as Let’s Rock Elmo. In 1998, there was Furby, who made an encore appearance in 2012. Some gifts resell for up to 600 percent above their original price. Some have hospitalized employees in stampedes of customers trying to get it.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Christmas has become about finding the gift everyone wants. Most have forgotten the best Christmas gift ever was already given the very first Christmas. Today’s verse is a reminder of this wonderful gift – the gift of eternal life. The gift of salvation. And the best part is, it doesn’t cost a thing.

As you pray today, ask God to put people in your path that need salvation and pray for ways to share it with them. Pray also that a “stampede” would start across the nation to find God’s best Christmas gift ever.

Recommended Reading: Romans 5:12-17

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – You Have a Savior

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Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” —Luke 2:10

When the angel delivered his heavenly announcement to the shepherds, he started with, “Do not be afraid.” But the shepherds, along with all of Israel, lived in frightening times. They were under the reign of King Herod, who was a tyrant. Their land was under Roman occupation. There was fear about the future. Would Rome ever leave? Would they ever be free? Would the Messiah ever come?

Then suddenly there were angels announcing to the shepherds that the Messiah had come: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (Luke 2:10). Having angels appear was frightening in itself. Angels were awe-inspiring beings. That is why, when we read of angelic appearances in the Bible, we often see them starting with, “Fear not.”

The message of Christmas is fear not. Have joy. As commentator Ray Stedman said, “The chief mark of the Christian ought to be the absence of fear and the presence of joy.”

Yet it can be difficult for us to have joy because we are surrounded by sadness. With all the tragedies in the world, all the acts of terrorism, and all the problems we have, how can we have good tidings of great joy? The answer is this: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).

No matter what happens in life, remember this: You have a Savior. As a Christian, you have been saved from death. You have been saved from eternal punishment and hell. You have the hope that when you die, you will go straight to heaven. That is the most important thing about the Christian life. There is a Heaven waiting for you. You have a Savior.

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples –Tomato Juice Wars

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“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:2

One of the things that first drew me to Jim was his wonderful sense of humor. Even on our first few dates back in 1957, he made me laugh more than any guy I had dated. I loved that about him. He had a clever way of seeing the world around him, and his graphic descriptions were legendary at Pasadena College, where we met. After all these years, we still love to laugh together.

Once when we were flying home from a conference, the flight attendant set a glass of tomato juice on the armrest between us. We both forgot it was there, and Jim knocked it off on my side. About half of the contents landed in my lap.

For some reason, Jim thought that was funnier than I did. While he was laughing with his eyes shut, I poured the other half of the tomato juice in his lap. He was still chuckling when the cold juice soaked through to his skin. Then the shock hit him, and the two of us laughed until we had tears in our eyes. It was very difficult to explain what had happened when friends met us at the airport. We looked as though we had attacked each other with chainsaws!

We don’t do wild things like that every day, but we try to take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy life. I know that it has helped us cope with the pressures we’ve experienced along the way. It will help you and your marriage, too.

– Shirley M Dobson

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Doubting God’s Goodness

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Genesis 3:1-7

Living in this fallen world can challenge our faith in God’s goodness. The pain and suffering that resulted from Adam and Eve’s sin may cloud our understanding of the Lord and tempt us to blame Him for every difficulty we face. Why doesn’t He always relieve hardships, fix our problems, and give us what we want?

When Eve listened to the serpent’s lies in the Garden of Eden, she began to doubt that the Lord had made the right choice in forbidding her to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Why would He deprive her of wisdom and the enjoyment of food that looked so desirable?

Our thoughts are similar to Eve’s when we don’t agree with what our Father says is best for us. From a human perspective, “good” refers to what is enjoyable, delightful, comfortable, or profitable. But God has a much higher standard and is always working to achieve His purpose—to develop Christlike character within His children.

Behind every restriction or commandment the Lord gives to us is His loving care for His followers. He knows the tormenting consequences of sin and wants to deter us from rebellious choices that will wreck our lives. In refusing His will, we’re choosing pain and trouble.

Eve learned through disobedience that God knows what’s best. We have the opportunity each day to discover His goodness by listening to His voice, obeying His commands, and trusting His wisdom. Whatever may come our way, we can know He is working for both our temporal and eternal good.

Bible in One Year: Philippians 1-4

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Just the Ticket

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Read: Ephesians 1:1-10

Bible in a Year: Daniel 11-12; Jude

In him we have . . . the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. —Ephesians 1:7

When a police officer stopped a woman because her young daughter was riding in a car without the required booster seat, he could have written her a ticket for a traffic violation. Instead, he asked the mother and daughter to meet him at a nearby store where he personally paid for the needed car seat. The mother was going through a difficult time and could not afford to buy a seat.

Although the woman should have received a fine for her misdemeanor, she walked away with a gift instead. Anyone who knows Christ has experienced something similar. All of us deserve a penalty for breaking God’s laws (Eccl. 7:20). Yet, because of Jesus, we experience undeserved favor from God. This favor excuses us from the ultimate consequence for our sin, which is death and eternal separation from God (Rom. 6:23). “In [Jesus] we have . . . the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (Eph. 1:7).

Some refer to grace as “love in action.” When the young mother experienced this, she later remarked, “I will be forever grateful! . . . And as soon as I can afford it I will be paying it forward.” This grateful and big-hearted response to the officer’s gift is an inspiring example for those of us who have received the gift of God’s grace! —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Dear Father, thank You for giving us what we don’t deserve. You have forgiven my sins and provided a way for me to be reconciled to You through the gift of Your Son. Help me to always be grateful for Your grace.

God’s gift is grace.

INSIGHT: The city of Ephesus was “the capital of . . . the western part of Asia Minor. It was colonized principally from Athens. In the time of the Romans it bore the title of ‘the first and greatest metropolis of Asia.’ It was distinguished for the Temple of Diana, who there had her chief shrine; and for its theatre, which was the largest in the world, capable of containing 50,000 spectators. It was, like all ancient theatres, open to the sky. Here were exhibited the fights of wild beasts and of men with beasts (1 Cor. 4:9; 9:24, 25; 15:32). Many Jews took up their residence in this city, and here the seeds of the gospel were sown immediately after Pentecost (Acts 2:9; 6:9).”

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg – Why Do My Prayers Go Unanswered?

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Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you.

Isaiah 30:18

God often delays in answering prayer. We have several instances of this in the Bible. Jacob did not get the blessing from the angel until near the dawn of day-he had to wrestle all night for it. The poor woman of Syrophoenicia received no answer for a long while. Paul asked the Lord three times for “a thorn . . . in the flesh”1 to be taken from him, and he received no assurance that it would be removed, but instead a promise that God’s grace would be sufficient for him.

If you have been knocking at the gate of mercy and have received no answer, shall I tell you why the mighty Maker has not opened the door and let you in?

Our Father has personal reasons for keeping us waiting. Sometimes it is to show His power and His sovereignty, so that we may learn that God has a right to give or to withhold.

More often the delay is for our benefit. You are perhaps kept waiting in order that your desires may be more fervent. God knows that delay will quicken and increase desire, and that if He keeps you waiting, you will see your need more clearly and will seek more diligently, and that you will treasure the mercy all the more on account of the wait.

There may also be something wrong in you that needs to be removed before the joy of the Lord is given. Perhaps your views of the gospel plan are confused, or you may be relying upon yourself instead of trusting simply and entirely in the Lord Jesus. Or God makes you wait for a while so that He may display the riches of His grace more abundantly in the end.

Your prayers are all filed in heaven, and if not immediately answered they are certainly not forgotten, but in a little while they will be fulfilled to your delight and satisfaction. Do not allow despair to make you silent, but continue to present your requests to God.

1) 2 Corinthians 12:7

Family Bible Reading Plan

  • 2 Chronicles 9
  • Jude 1

Devotional material is taken from “Morning and Evening,” written by C.H. Spurgeon, revised and updated by Alistair Begg.

 

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon -The Exodus

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“And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the self same day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:41

Suggested Further Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:1-11

It is our firm conviction and increasing belief, that the historical books of Scripture were intended to teach us spiritual things by types and figures. We believe that every portion of Scripture history is not only a faithful transcript of what did actually happen, but also a shadow of what happens spiritually in the dealings of God with his people, or in the dispensations of his grace towards the world at large. We do not look upon the historical books of Scripture as being mere rolls of history, such as profane authors might have written, but we regard them as being most true and infallible records of the past, and also most bright and glorious foreshadowings of the future, or else most wondrous metaphors and marvellous illustrations of things which are verily received among us, and most truly felt in the Christian heart. We may be wrong—we believe we are not; at any rate, the very error has given us instruction, and our mistake has afforded us comfort. We look upon the book of Exodus as being a book of types of the deliverances which God will give to his elect people; not only as a history of what he has done, in bringing them out of Egypt by smiting the first-born, leading them through the Red Sea, and guiding them through the wilderness, but also as a picture of his faithful dealings with all his people, whom by the blood of Christ he separates from the Egyptians, and by his strong and mighty hand takes out of the house of their bondage and out of the land of their slavery.

For meditation: Are you getting as much out of the Old Testament as you should? It is full of the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27)! While it may be wrong and confusing to see types in every verse or action, if you major on the types which are identified and applied in the New Testament you cannot go far wrong.

Sermon no. 55

9 December (1855)

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – The Sustaining Power of Christ

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“[Christ] upholds all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3).

Christ, by His almighty power, holds together all creation.

We base our entire lives on the constancy of physical laws. When something like an earthquake disrupts the normal condition or operation of things even a little, the consequences are often disastrous. Can you imagine what would happen if Jesus Christ relinquished His sustaining power over the laws of the universe for it is He in whom “all things hold together” (Col. 1:17)? We would go out of existence, our atoms scattering throughout the galaxy.

If He suspended the laws of gravity only for a brief moment, we would lose all points of reference. If any of the physical laws varied slightly, we could not exist. Our food could turn to poison; we ourselves could drift out into space or get flooded by the ocean tides. Countless other horrible things could happen.

But the universe remains in balance because Jesus Christ sustains and monitors all its movements and interworkings. He is the principle of cohesion. He is not the deist’s “watchmaker” creator, who made the world, set it in motion, and has not bothered with it since. The reason the universe is a cosmos instead of chaos—an ordered and reliable system instead of an erratic and unpredictable muddle—is the upholding power of Jesus Christ.

The entire universe hangs on the arm of Jesus. His unsearchable wisdom and boundless power are manifested in governing the universe. And He upholds it all by the word of His power. The key to the Genesis creation is in two words: “God said.” God spoke and it happened.

When I contemplate Christ’s power to uphold the universe, I’m drawn to the wonderful promise of Philippians 1:6: “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” When Christ begins a work in your heart, He doesn’t end there. He continually sustains it until the day He will take you into God’s very presence. A life, just as a universe, that is not sustained by Christ is chaos.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask God to remind you of Christ’s sustaining power when you endure your next trial.

For Further Study

Read Job 38-39 for a greater appreciation of what Christ does to uphold the universe.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Power for Living

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So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.—James 4:7

It is not going to do us one bit of good to try to resist the devil if we are not going to submit to God, because the power to resist the devil is found in submitting to God. If you want to keep Satan under your feet, you have to walk in obedience. Don’t have any known disobedience, any purposeful disobedience in your life.

Do I ever disobey God? Yes, but I don’t do it on purpose. I might lose my temper and say something that I shouldn’t. But as soon as God starts dealing with me about it, I do what He says. I have a reverential fear of God in my life, and I think we need a lot more of that. I believe that God is God, and I believe He means business. If He tells me to do something, He means it, and when He tells me not to do something, He means it. Yes, we live under grace, but grace is not an excuse to sin; grace is the power to live a holy life. Disobedience is one of Satan’s favorite entrances by which to gradually draw us into a web of sin that is devastating for us in the end.

Lord, I know that there is power for living today as I submit my life to You. Thank You for the grace that empowers me to walk in obedience. Amen.

From the book The Confident Woman Devotional: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – The First to Hear

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Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.—Luke 2:8–9

When God’s Son was born in a manger in Bethlehem, an unlikely group was the first to hear the news. If it had been up to me, I would have chosen to dispatch an angel to the court of Caesar Augustus. “You call yourself the savior of the world, Caesar? Well, check this out. The real Savior of the world has been born!”

Or, the angel could have appeared to the high priest, scribes, and scholars and announced the news that the Savior had been born.

Instead, God chose to deliver His message to shepherds who were “living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Luke 2:8). To be a shepherd in that culture was to be at the bottom of the social ladder. Shepherds were despised—so much so that the testimony of a shepherd wasn’t allowed in a court of law.

Shepherds basically did the work that no one else wanted to do. They had dirt under their fingernails. They were hardworking. And they probably felt right at home when they learned that this baby was born in lowly circumstances. They would have related to this. God was speaking their language.

This became the modus operandi of Christ throughout His ministry. He always went to the outcasts, to the hurting, to the ordinary people. He went to people like the woman at the well who had been ostracized because of her multiple marriages and divorces. He went to people like the tax collector Zacchaeus who was perceived by his fellow Jews as a traitor. Our Lord always had time for people like that. He was described as the friend of sinners.

In the same way, those lowly, despised shepherds who kept watch over their flocks were visited by the Lord.

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Touch the World

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Where will God go to touch the world? What a great thought and an even better question! It’s that time of year when we hear about the virgin birth. And yet it’s much, much more than a Christmas story.  It is a story of how close Christ will come to you!

The first stop on his itinerary was a womb. Where will God go to touch the world? Look deep within Mary for an answer. Better still—look deep within yourself.  Christ in you, the hope of glory! Christ grew in Mary until he had to come out. Christ will grow in you until the same occurs.  He will come out in your speech, in your actions, and in your decisions. Every place you live will be a Bethlehem. And every day you live will be a Christmas. Deliver Christ into the world!

From Grace for the Moment

Night Light - James & Shirley Dobson

Night Light for Couples –A Lighthearted Spirit

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“May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

As Christians who want to bring joy to our marriages, we might do well to remember the words of baseball great (and occasional comedian) Yogi Berra: “Ninety percent of the game is half mental.” We could say the same about life: It’s how we look at circumstances that makes all the difference. For Christians, it’s not just how we look at things; it’s at Whom we’re looking. “Rejoice in the Lord and be glad,” wrote David (Psalm 32:11). Paul gave the same advice to the Philippians. And the author of Hebrews wrote: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross….” (Hebrews 12:2). Couples who keep Jesus Christ as Lord of their home seem to laugh more often and cultivate hope in their marriages more easily. Why? Because when Jesus carries the weight of your worries, your needs, and your future, lighthearted living is the natural result.

God gave us a sense of humor to help us stay “half mental” in our marriage, and surely He wants us to use and enjoy it!

Just between us…

  • Do you think Jesus often laughed? Do you think we would laugh more if we trusted God more?
  • What steps can we take to bring a lighthearted spirit into our home?
  • How can we worship God by our attitudes about life’s little hassles?

Most amazing God, thank You for making humor possible in our world. Forgive us when selfishness, fear, or faithlessness rob us of laughter. Amen.

From Night Light For Couples, by Dr. James & Shirley Dobson

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Conquering Jealousy

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Psalms 37:4-6

What may begin as a minor comparison between our own lives and the lives of others can quickly escalate into an overwhelming mess. Jealousy is like a snowball that grows larger and larger. Its consequences are often devastating.

Confusion, anxiety, and bitterness can flood an envious heart and skew thoughts, until it’s nearly impossible to keep God’s plan in view. Instead, the focus becomes what we don’t have, taking us down the crippling path of resentment of others who do have the desired object or trait. This can dominate our thinking, leading to irrational behavior and broken relationships.

What’s more, envy dishonors our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Though He has a beautiful plan for each and every one of His children, jealousy says, “I deserve more than You’ve provided, and therefore, I don’t trust that You truly give me Your best.”

If you find any evidence of envy in your life, confess the comparison mindset. Recognize that you’re focusing on what God is doing in another person’s life rather than in your own. Thank Him for how He is blessing the other person, and ask Him to place love in your heart for that individual. Then refocus your attention on what the Father is doing. Finally, memorize and meditate on today’s verses.

If you’re burdened with jealousy, then you’re missing out on God’s best. Don’t wait to deal with this sin, which will fester and grow if left unattended. The One who created you and designed a good plan for your life is able to conquer jealousy in your heart.

Bible in One Year: Ephesians 1-3

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — The Perfect Gift

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Read: Romans 12:1-8

Bible in a Year: Daniel 8-10; 3 John

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. —Psalm 96:8

Every year our local botanical garden hosts a celebration of Christmas around the world. My favorite display is a French nativity. Instead of the traditional scene showing shepherds and wise men with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh gathered around the manger, it shows French villagers bringing their gifts to baby Jesus. They bring bread, wine, cheese, flowers, and other items that God has given them the ability to produce. This reminds me of the Old Testament command to bring the firstfruits of our labor to the house of the Lord (Ex. 23:16-19). This depiction of the nativity illustrates that everything we have comes from God, so the only thing we have to give is something that God has given us.

When Paul instructed the Romans to present themselves as a living sacrifice, he was telling them to give back to God what God had given them—their own selves (Rom. 12:1). This includes the gifts He gave them, even their ability to earn a living. We know that God gives people special abilities. Some, like David, were skilled in music (1 Sam. 16:18). Some, like Bezalel and Oholiab, were skilled in artistic works (Ex. 35:30-35). Others have skill in writing, teaching, gardening, and many other things.

When we give back to God what He has first given to us, we give Him the perfect gift—ourselves. —Julie Ackerman Link

What can you offer to Jesus?

Share on our Facebook page: facebook.com/ourdailybread

Give your all to Christ who gave His all for you.

INSIGHT: There are five listings of spiritual gifts in the New Testament: Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:8-10; 12:28-30; Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Peter 4:11. In each of these lists the emphasis is not on the different types of gifts but on their diversity and how they are to be used in a way that promotes love and unity in the church (1 Cor. 12:12-13:13). Gifts are to be used to build up the spiritual maturity of the believers (Eph. 4:12-16) and to bring glory to the Lord (1 Peter 4:9-11). In Romans 12 Paul encourages believers to use their gifts in humility (v. 3), in unity (vv. 4-5), and with sincere love and respect (vv. 9-10).

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Christ’s Radiance and Representation

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“He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Heb. 1:3).

Jesus is both God manifest and God in substance.

Just as the rays of the sun give light, warmth, life, and growth to the earth, so Jesus Christ is the glorious light of God shining into the hearts of men and women. As “the radiance of God’s glory,” Jesus expresses God to us. No one can see God in HIs full glory; no one ever will. The radiance of that glory that reaches us from God appears in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Just as the sun was never without and can never be separated from its brightness, so God was never without and cannot be separated from the glory of Christ. Never was God without Him or He without God, and never in any way can He be separated from God. Yet the brightness of the sun is not the sun, and neither is Jesus exactly the same as God in that sense. He is fully and absolutely God, yet as a distinct Person within the triune Godhead.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). As the radiance of God’s glory, Christ can transmit that light into your life and mine so that we can radiate the glory of God to a dark world.

In using the term “exact representation” to describe Christ’s relationship to God’s nature, the writer employs terminology usually associated with an impression reproduced on a seal by a die or stamp. Jesus Christ is the reproduction of God—the perfect, personal imprint of God in time and space.

How wonderful to realize that Jesus Christ, who is both the full expression of God and exact reproduction of God’s nature in human history, can come into our lives and give us light to see and to know God! His light is the source of our spiritual life. And His light gives us purpose, meaning, happiness, peace, joy, fellowship, everything—for all eternity.

Suggestion for Prayer

Thank God that He determined to become a man so we could know what He is like.

For Further Study

Read 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 and note who allows people to see or not see spiritually.

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Honor God’s Voice Above All

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[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is. —Jeremiah 17:7

One attitude that welcomes the presence of God into our lives is the attitude that honors Him above everyone and everything else. Our attitudes need to say, God, no matter what anyone else tells me, no matter what I think myself, no matter what my own plan is, if I clearly hear You say something and I know it’s You, I will honor You—and honor what You say—above everything else.

Sometimes we give more consideration to what people tell us than to what God says. If we pray diligently and hear from God, and then start asking people around us what they think, we honor their human opinions above God’s. Such an attitude will prevent our being able to consistently hear God’s voice. If we are ever going to develop an ability to hear from God and be led by His Spirit as a way of life, we have to stop listening to so many opinions from so many people and begin trusting the wisdom God deposits in our hearts. There is a time to receive good counsel, but needing the approval of people will keep us out of the will of God.

The devil wants us to think we are not capable of hearing from God, but God’s Word says that is not true. The Holy Spirit dwells inside of us because God wants us to be led by the Spirit in a personal way and to hear His voice for ourselves as He leads and guides us.

In the verse for today, God says we will be blessed when we look to Him. According to Jeremiah 17:5-6, severe consequences come to those who trust in the frailty of mere men and women, but blessed are those who trust in and honor the Lord. Good things happen if we listen to God. He wants to be our strength and we must honor His Word above all else.

God’s Word for You Today: Hear what others have to say, but listen to God.

From the book Hearing from God Each Morning: 365 Daily Devotions by Joyce Meyer.

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Will Preserve Me

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“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (2 Timothy 4:18, KJV).

Do you and I have that same kind of confidence in God?

Note that the apostle Paul did not mention the word deathhere, for earlier verses in this chapter reveal that he expected to die – and he was ready. But he was assured that God would keep Paul from apostasy, and from displaying an improper spirit at the time of his death.

In the same way, we can ask the Lord today, in faith believing, for that inner peace we need to face up to all that He allows to happen in our lives. His perfect peace is sufficient for every testing and trial and trouble and temptation.

By keeping us from every evil work, He likewise enables us to reach His heavenly kingdom.

An appropriate time for praise to God is when a person knows he is about to be brought to heaven, and Paul introduces such a doxology here: “to whom be glory for ever and ever.”

The truth is clear: we are protected on every side, and even at death we can sing the doxology, for we are about to meet the altogether lovely One in His heavenly home. To remain in constant fellowship with our heavenly Father will maintain a spirit of joy, love and peace in our lives that nothing can shake.

Bible Reading: Psalm 3:1-6

TODAY’S ACTION POINT: Like the apostle Paul, I will confidently expect God to protect me from every evil work and enable me to live the supernatural life for His glory.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – A Riches-to-Rags Story

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For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.—2 Corinthians 8:9

In reality, the story of Jesus is not a rags-to-riches story; it is a riches-to-rags story. It is a story of leaving the glory of Heaven for this planet. Jesus could have been born in the most elegant mansion on the ritziest boulevard in Rome. He could have had aristocratic parents who boasted of their pedigree. He could have had the finest clothes from the most exclusive shops. He could have had legions of angels as an army of servants to respond to His every whim. But He had none of that. Instead, Jesus humbled Himself.

We read in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” God came into our world. He was like any other baby who needed to be cradled, needed to be nurtured, and needed to be protected. The Creator of the universe was born in a stable in Bethlehem.

Like everything else in the Christmas story, we have romanticized this aspect of it. I think, in many ways, we miss its raw, powerful meaning. This stable or barn (or maybe even cave) where Christ was born was cold and damp. It also would have smelled. God incarnate was born on the dirt floor of a filthy stable. Our Savior came not as a monarch draped in gold and silk, but as a baby wrapped in rags.

Jesus went from being a sovereign to a servant. He went from the glory of God to a stable filled with animals. It has been said that history swings on the hinge of the door of a stable in Bethlehem.

Think about what Jesus left to come to us. Jesus took His place in a manger so that we might have a home in Heaven.